COMMUNITY FORUM

Squealing Ceiling Fan

I have ceiling fan that's starting to squeal is there anything I can do? I am not sure if it's worth it to take it down check out the motor and then put it back up. I haven't messed around much with ceiling fans and I am not sure if this a normal thing and I all I need to do is apply some grease around some bearings inside the motor casing or if this fan is just shot and I need to get a new one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ottingerp - hi, my wife recently replaced a ceiling fan in our home (we bought the home in June 2004). When the old fan came down, we found it had oil (fairly thin, maybe gear oil?) in it. (It leaked some of the oil out onto the garage floor when we set it there.) I can't recall specifically the model number or name of the fan, but I thought it was a Hamilton Bay unit. It was a fairly heavy unit. Unfortunately, the previous homeowner didn't leave any info about the fan in the house, so I can't determine the manufacturer, date of manufacture, whether or not it needed a regular addition of oil, etc. I hope you're able to fix yours - good luck! Jim D/West Point, VA

Many of the older ceiling fans such as the original Hunter brand and others that were made from the early 1900's until the 1970's, have caged or loose ball bearings that run in a recessed race filled with a light oil. If you tip the fan, the oil will run out. The oil is added through a hole in the top of the fan body near the suspension pipe. It runs down a tube inside the fan to the bearing race at the bottom. Hunter recommended that you tilt the fan (something like 10 or 15 degrees - I can't remember exactly) while slowly filling with oil. Three-in-one oil will probably work fine. Place rags under the fan to catch the excess oil. When the oil begins to leak out the bottom - stop. Wipe away the excess and allow the fan to return to vertical. If that doesn't stop the squeal, you probably have a bad bearings that can be replaced.

Most fans manufactured since the 1970's utilize sealed bearings or bushings that cannot be lubricated by the average consumer. When they go bad, you go to the store for a new fan.